An Ema to Remember
by Ta-Ni Kitsune
Summary: On a routine visit to the shrine, Yu Narukami decides to make a heartfelt wish on an ema. But when the fox decides to grant said wish, he will find things are never quite the same. Set after all the games based in the Persona 4 universe.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, everyone! Ta-Ni here, bringing you a brand-new story from the Persona Series. After watching a playthrough of Persona 4, I completely fell in love with the fox at the shrine, so I decided to write a story revolving around her and her relationship with the main character. I will note that for this story, I am making the fox female for a reason, as you will see later. Anyway, on to the first chapter!**

I sit atop the shrine, like always. None of the people who visit even know I'm there; they rarely look up. However, I'm waiting for a particular person today. One time, many seasons ago, a young man with silver hair, like that of an aging reynard, came to my shrine. Something about him drew my attention, so I decided to show myself to him. It became a powerful relationship for the both of us, and I used my large stash of magic leaves to help him and his friends in the 'other world'. However, his adventures were far from over; he and his friends had a few more trials to face.

Unfortunately, he lives far from here, so I rarely see him nowadays. Today, however, I had a feeling that he would be coming, so I wait patiently. Sure enough, as the sun begins to set over the horizon, I see him walking up the steps. He waits until the last of the well-wishers leave, so we are alone, then softly calls out, "Ms. Fox? Are you there?"

I smile as I jump down from the roof, landing gracefully at his feet. Most of his friends still call me 'Mr. Fox', unaware that I'm actually a female. He, however, figured it out through our bond. I turn to grab one of the emas hanging in my shrine, hoping he has enough time to fulfill it like before, but he holds up his hand to stop me. "I-I don't really have time; I'm only here to visit," he says. Then, he pauses and asks, "Actually, do you have any blank ones? I'd like to make my own request, and see if someone else will fulfill it for once."

I look at him, slight surprise in my eyes. Then, I notice his usual stature seems strained, almost forced even. Hiding beneath that façade, he looks very tired, and worn down. Not surprising, given all the trials he and his friends faced. Through it all, he never gave up, but no one can keep going forever. Giving him a quiet yip of support, I grab a blank ema from the shrine, as well as a fallen quill that one of the other patrons had lost. He writes something really quick on it, and then gives it back to me to hang up. I catch a quick look at his wish in the process, and pause. Written in neat letters are the words, "I wish for a new life."

Confused, I look back at him, and he explains. "Being the leader of the Investigation Team is starting to grind on my nerves. I sometimes wonder what my life could have been like if I hadn't been given this power. So, if I could, I wish I had a chance for a new life; one without all this obligation or power. However, I would also lose my friends and bonds, because I would have no reason to have formed them in the first place. Know what I mean?"

I nod to show I understand, but something about his explanation doesn't quite ring true for me. I know despite his complaints, he truly cherishes the bonds of friendship he has created and nurtured during his first 'case', and that includes the one he forged with me. Everyone will be saddened if he leaves for a new life, and yet I feel it my duty to do this for him. But how?

Then, I remember something my Mama taught me long ago, when I was a little kit. She taught me everything I knew about our kind of magic and the herbs and leaves that we use, and she told me about of one particular one. " _Of all the various leaves and herbs we use in our magic, there is one you should only use in dire circumstances. The magic inside is very powerful, but unpredictable. However, if used properly, it could make miracles occur._ "

I wake from my musings to see him walking away, so I bark aloud to get his attention, and then place my paw on his ema. He looks confused as he asks, "Are you saying you can grant my wish?" I bark once in affirmation, then swing my tail in a circle one time. He knows that means 'tomorrow', so he says, "If you're sure…then I'll come back tomorrow. Should I tell anyone where I'm going?" I start to speak, but he answers his own question. "No, probably not. They would want to come with me if they knew, so its best if I break it off clean."

I frown for a moment at his decision, but since it IS his choice, I merely nod. Then, without waiting for an answer, I run back behind the shrine and into my den underneath; I have a lot of work to do in preparation for tomorrow. Walking carefully around my piles of leaves and herbs, I find a small pile set apart from all the others. Shaped vaguely like stars, these leaves shimmer with latent power, at least in my eyes.

In the half-light of my den, they look very old and crinkled, but placing a paw on them confirms they are still full of life and power. Taking a few in my mouth, I step back around the piles toward the den entrance. I peek outside to see no one in the area; dusk had fallen, and the lanterns were already lit. I bounded up to the ema wall and set the leaves down for a moment. I know my breath had activated their magic, so I have to act fast.

Taking down the gray-furred young man's ema from the wall, I place a single leaf on the back, and then place a paw on top. Closing my eyes, I infuse a touch of my own magic, as well as my desire to help, into the leaf. A brief burst of light seep out from under my paw, signaling that it took, so I remove my paw and hang it back up on the wall. Then, I pick up the rest of the leaves in my mouth and run back to my den for the night.

 **What has the fox got planned for the main character? How will this turn out? Find out next time, on An Ema to Remember!**

 **Please read and review, and may your Ember never fade!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, everyone! Ta-Ni here, bringing you another chapter of An Ema to Remember. Now I will warn you that things get a little...weird...in this chapter, but I think I keep it within this maturity rating. This part is what prompted me to write this story, so I hope you approve. Enjoy!**

The next morning finds me atop the shrine once again, waiting eagerly for my friend. I am not entirely sure what will happen when he uses that leaf, but I know in my heart he will welcome it. I figure he wouldn't stop by until late in the day, so decide to take a quick nap in the afternoon, waking just before sunset. Scanning the dwindling crowd, I spot his silver fur easily; he is wandering the shrine area, trying to remain inconspicuous. I guess he knows this wouldn't be a normal meeting, and is biding his time until we could be alone.

Eventually, the plaza clears and he can safely call out to me. I jump down and greet him with a friendly tail wag. Without preamble, he says, "Before we do this, can I ask you a favor?" I tilt my head slightly, but wait for him to continue. "I thought about this last night, and decided I cannot just up and vanish without someone asking questions. I had to tell Nanako I was meeting you today, so that may cast suspicion on you. So, if my friends or Nanako come here looking for me, can you give this to them?"

He hands me a white envelope, which I take very carefully in my mouth. Running back behind the shrine, I wedge it between the boards, out of sight. Then, I return and grab his ema from the wall and hold it out to him. He takes it and notices the leaf on the back. Staring at it for a moment, he asks, "Does it work like the other leaves we used in the past?" I bark once in affirmation, so he takes the leaf off and holds it. With only a slight hesitation, he places the leaf to his forehead. In my eyes, I see the flash of the magic at work…and then he collapses at my feet.

I dash forward, worried that something went wrong, but I can still hear very faint breaths; he is merely put into a very deep sleep. Oddly, being so close to him, I pick up a peculiar scent emanating from him. I can't quite put my paw on what is different, but the odd scent makes me feel…hungry. Then, his body begins to shrink! Slowly, then steadily faster, he shrinks in size, and as he shrinks, the odd scent grows stronger.

By the time he reaches my size, I am struggling to hold myself back, though from what I'm not sure. And still he shrinks! He finally stops when he reaches about the size of a mouse; in fact, he looks a lot like a mouse with the gray fur on his head. I feel my stomach rumbling at the thought, and the urge becomes overpowering; I can't hold on any longer. Rushing forward again, I seize his tiny form in my mouth, toss it up into the air, and…GULP. I swallow him in one bite.

The overpowering scent vanishes at once, leaving me clearheaded…and then horrified at what I had done. I try and cough him back up, but I can feel his weight slowly travelling down my throat until it settles with a small thump in my belly. _This is not what I intended,_ I think. _Why did the magic choose this fate for him? This isn't a new life; it's a terrible death!_ I imagine the horrible pain he must be going through as his body dissolves in my stomach…wait, something isn't right.

I place my paw on my belly to feel him in my body, but he doesn't move in the slightest; he should be writhing in pain, right? Then, I notice that the weight is slightly lower in my body than my stomach, almost as if he was in my…

As realization dawns on me, tears spring to my eyes. _Mother, you've done it again,_ I think. I carefully walk up the steps to the shrine and take an ema from the very back, out of sight from the patrons. Scratched into the wood are rough letters which read, "I wish for a family again." This is one I wrote myself, after my last litter left a few seasons ago. The magic in that leaf managed to grant his wish and my own at the same time: he will get a new life…as my unborn son.

Feeling his weight in my body once more with my paw, I carefully place the two emas next to each other, and then put a single paw print on the back to mark them completed. I then hang them back on the wall with the other completed ones and retire to my den, content that I could remain with my friend even into his next life.

 **And there you have it. BTW, I will be using the default name for the protagonist in this story, Yu Narukami. So, he's now sleeping within the fox, awaiting his rebirth, but how will everyone else react? Find out next time, everyone!**

 **Please read and review, and may your Ember never fade!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, everyone! Ta-Ni here, bringing you the next-to-last chapter of An Ema to Remember. Last time, Yu ended up...changed as a result of his ema being fulfilled. What will his friends think, or those he left behind? Let's find out!**

I wake the next morning to a familiar voice outside the shrine. Slowly getting up, I crawl carefully out of my den and around the front to see the inn keeper's daughter, Yukiko, calling out, "Yu! Are out here?" Seeing me, she says, "Oh, I'm sorry, Mr, Fox. I am looking for Yu-Senpai; Nanako said he was coming here yesterday, but he never came home."

Just then, the rest of the gang run up. I know them all by name, because of our working together: there's the fighter girl, Chie; the Junes heir, Yosuke, the tough guy, Kanji; the brunette singer/idol, Rise; the detective, Naoto; and lastly the energetic blond, Teddie. "Any luck, Yukiko," Rise asks. Yukiko shakes her head. "No, but maybe Mr. Fox has seen him?" They all turn to me, making me a little nervous. I quickly remember the letter he gave me before he…changed, so I half-lope up the steps and grab it from where I stashed it. I also grab his ema, just in case the letter didn't explain everything.

As I come back, Naoto, with her keen eyesight, notices me moving oddly and says, "Guys, I think something is wrong with the fox. His stomach seems a little…bigger than normal. Are you feeling alright?" I nod, hiding a secret smile, and give her the letter and ema. She looks at the ema first, noticing the pawprint on the back, then the writing on the front. "I recognize this handwriting. It's Yu-Senpai's!"

"So he wrote an ema here?" Kanji asks. "So what does it say?" Naoto reads it out loud: "I wish for a new life." Predictably, they all look astonished. Finally, Rise says, "Why would Senpai write something like this? He always seemed so happy and gung-ho when we were together." Naoto opens the letter now and reads:

" **To my dear friends, I'm sorry to leave you all, but I have grown tired of being the hero. After all our adventures, though I have drawn strength from you and everyone else I met, it has always fallen on my shoulders to save the world. So, with the help of the fox, I ask for a second chance, a second life. Please, wherever I end up, don't go looking for me. I wanted to say goodbye, but couldn't do it face to face. Take care of Nanako in my place, and Yosuke, my partner, I'm electing you the new leader of the Investigation Team, should it be needed. Farewell."**

Everyone is stunned at his final words. After a moment, Naoto speaks up. "Given the evidence, it appears that Senpai has moved on from us. So, we might as well move on also. Still, there is one question I have: what did the fox do?" Again, they look at me, but I can't really explain what happened; at least not in a way they will understand. "Rise, I have a sneaking suspicion we might find a clue if you use your Persona to scan the area."

She nods and everyone stands back. Suddenly, her power springs to life around her, forming into a woman with a satellite on her head behind her. I've seen it before, but only in the 'other world'; I had no idea she had grown so strong as to manifest it in the real world. As the figure looks around, I could feel its gaze pierce right through me…wait, can it see…?

Sure enough, it stares at me for a moment, and then she points and exclaims, "Guys, I can sense Senpai's energy! It's very faint, but what's odd is…it appears to be coming from INSIDE Mr. Fox!" They stare at her, then at me, and I give them a satisfied swish of my tail. As explanation, I fetch MY ema and place it in front of them, cradling my swollen belly with my paw.

Naturally, Teddie takes my actions the wrong way. "OH MY GOSH! Mr. Fox ate Sensei!" he shouts, causing everyone to jump in alarm. He begins to sob uncontrollably, until Yosuke hits him over the head. "Idiot!" he exclaims. "He's not dead; otherwise, Rise wouldn't have sensed him at all. How he got inside the fox, though, I haven't a clue, nor what happened to him in there."

Naoto kept looking at me, and then picked up my ema and read it aloud as well. "'I…wish…for…a…family…again.' Judging by the crude markings, I would say it was made by the fox, and it also is marked completed. Both this mark and the one on Senpai's ema are fresh, so they must have been marked at or around the same time." Then, realization dawned on his face, and he chuckled. "Also, we all overlooked the fact that the fox is actually a Ms., not a Mr."

I gave her a bark of approval; FINALLY someone else gets it! One by one, they all realize the same thing I did when it happened: I was carrying him as my unborn kit. Finally, Yukiko asks me in a small voice, "I-is this what he really wanted?" I nodded confidently; while I'm not sure if he would have wanted things to turn out this way, I know he won't be displeased with the circumstances. I give her a small smile to comfort her, and she smiles back.

"Well, that mystery is solved," Naoto says. "We know where Senpai went, even if no one else would believe us. Now, the next question is: what do we tell everyone? Detective Dojima will be skeptical at best, and Nanako-san will be sad as well. Maybe it would help if we had seen it happen…" To my surprise, Teddie raises his hand. "I'll do it!"

"Do what?" Yosuke asks. "I want to be with Sensei, and out of all of us, I'm the one person who will be missed the least," Teddie explains. "So, whatever Ms. Fox did to Sensei, she can do to me as well. You guys get your answer, and I stay with Sensei; it all works out." "But Nanako will miss you too," Yukiko argues. "It's bad enough we have to tell her that her 'Big Bro' isn't coming back; her little heart would break if you disappear too!"

"I-I know," Teddie said sadly. "But Sensei is the reason I ever came to this world. I can't _bear_ to live without him, especially if he forgets about me. Tell Nanako-chan I went to protect him, wherever he went." He walks up to me and declares, "I'm ready. Work your magic, before I lose my nerve!" I give him a questioning look for a moment, but nod and slink back to my den. Grabbing another leaf from the pile already infused with my power, I come back and place it at his feet.

He picks it up hesitantly, then places it on his forehead. I see the flash of power, and he collapses like the other one did. Rise starts to reach out in concern, but I growl to warn her away; I don't know if contact once the magic begins will transfer to her as well, but best not take chances. Already, the tantalizing scent is affecting me, but I hold out against it better since I know what's happening. He starts shrinking soon after, getting smaller much faster than the gray-furred one did.

Once he reaches the right size, I calmly walk up to his shrunken form; I'm using all my self-control not to dash forward like before. They needed to see what is happening in its entirety. I wrap my jaws around his head, tilt my head back, and carefully swallow him whole. I resist the urge to gag as I feel his weight join the other in my distended belly, and then I whine in comfort to reassure the others; they've been staring in shock since he started shrinking.

Eventually, Kanji breaks the silence. "A-are you sure they're okay? I-it sure LOOKS like the fox ate him." I don't think he means any offense, but I growl at him anyway. It is MY body after all; I know where everything is. Chie agrees with me. "Don't say that, Moronji! Be more respectful!" Still, I could tell she and everyone else are shaken by the experience.

Yukiko kneels next to me and asks quietly, "A-are you sure they'll be okay?" Again, I nod confidently; in no way has our family's magic caused ill effects to those who use it, at least to my understanding. "D-do you think I can go too?" she asks tentatively. "Yukiko! NO!" Chie replies. "I couldn't bear to lose you!"

"She's right," Rise says. "You are too important to lose. In fact, we all do: you have the inn, Yosuke has Junes, Chie has her police training, Kanji has his classes, I have my Idol work, and Naoto has her cases. Each of us have a job in the real world, so we cannot just drop off the face of the earth like this. In the end, we have to trust Teddie to be with him in our stead. Our job now is to convince Dojima and Nanako that they are all right."

They all nod, and begin to walk away. Before she leaves, however, Yukiko turns back to me and says, "Please take good care of them, Ms. Fox!" I bark back in return, and then duck back into my den. I now have TWO kits to prepare for, so I had better make sure I'm ready.

 **And there you have it. Now both Yu AND Teddie are to be reborn as fox kits. Now, I will have a brief epilogue to wrap things up, so stay tuned for that!**

 **Please read and review, and may your Ember never fade!**


	4. Epilogue

**Hey, everyone! Ta-Ni here, bringing you a really quick epilogue to An Ema to Remember. It's a little short, because I wanted to wrap things up. Enjoy!**

A few moons pass, and I lay in my new den out in the forest outside Inaba. I can feel my new kits squirming in my belly; they are close to their time, which is why I'm here. It pained me to leave the shrine unguarded, but even a small town like Inaba is no place to raise newborn kits, so a short time ago, I retreated to the forest to raise them in peace.

A few days after the group left me with my two kits, the detective Dojima and his daughter Nanako came around the shrine. She wished desperately for her 'Big Bro and friend' to return, but I watched from the shelter of my den. I knew her wish would go unfulfilled; probably one of the few that will, unfortunately. It hurt to see her so distraught, but I couldn't reveal myself to them regardless.

I am knocked from my musings by an intense pressure in my belly, and realize they want to come out NOW. Bearing with the pain, I manage to push the two kits out of my womb and into the real world. They are both male, as expected, but it was their coats that surprised me. One had a slightly silver pelt, while the other was a blondish color. _Even in their new life,_ I think, _they retain parts of their old ones._ I smile and nuzzle them as they begin whining for food, pulling them close to the teats on my stomach.

Whether they remember anything of their past life, I don't know. However, I will cherish every moment with them, and hold on to the memories I have of them from then and now.

 **And that's the end of An Ema to Remember! I hope you enjoyed this little head-canon I came up with. Be sure to check out my other stories, as well as the Eon Village Forum, for more from me!**

 **Please read and review, and may your Ember never fade!**


End file.
